Vermont Media Exchange Welcomes the Newest Site - Middlebury
Middlebury Community Television kicks off the Beta Test phase of Vermont Media Exchange (VMX). VMX is a collaborative effort of members of the Vermont Access Network working with cable operators in Vermont. VAN is working to involve all Vermont cable operators to create a true statewide network. Middlebury began the Beta Test with their VMX install on July 14th and use of the all new VMX 1.0 application to bring program sharing through digital file-sharing among public, education, and government access management organizations around the state. Five VMX sites are using the new VMX 1.0 application and more are on the way. The Vermont Media Exchange Governing Committee consists of the seven members listed below.
Scott Campitelli - RETN, Burlington - Chair
Patrick Cody - LPCTV, Ludlow - Vice Chair
Lisa Byer - CAT-TV, Bennington - Secretary
Jess Wilson - CCTV, Burlington - Treasurer
Mike Valentine - RRCTV, Rutland
Bob Franzoni - CATV8/UVEC, White River Jct.
Jeff Tolbert - ORCA, Montpelier
AMO Commitment to VMX - Preparing for the VMX Beta Test
The following is the content of an agreement to be reviewed by each AMO before its commitment to participating in the Vermont Media Exchange as we proceed toward full roll-out of the network.
Access Management Organization Participation
in Vermont Media Exchange (VMX), an initiative of Vermont Access Network
To participate in the Statewide PEG Interconnect, now known as Vermont Media Exchange (VMX), each AMO will confirm its understanding of and acceptance of the financial, administrative, and operational commitment associated with statewide digital file-sharing, and will agree to notify
the VMX Governing Committee of problems as soon as practicable.
As a participant in VMX, your AMO agrees to:
1. offer and accept shared statewide programs as appropriate for PEG access in your local service
area
2. participate in preparation, set-up and training for local operation of VMX for digital file-sharing of programs (on-site installation by VMX/VAN personnel includes up to two hours of work integrating VMX into your AMO's local area network, but does not include labor for computer support with details of LAN assistance beyond that — any work beyond the two hour network limit will be paid for by your AMO)
3. dedicate AMO staff and/or volunteer time as appropriate for participation in VMX
4. allocate AMO administrative, operational, and personnel time and financial support as needed to implement VMX at your AMO
5. notify the VMX Governing Committee as soon as practicable of any significant technical, operational, financial, administrative, or other problems systemic to VMX that may occur during your AMO’s participation in VMX
6. work with the VMX Governing Committee to resolve any significant problems that hinder your AMO’s participation in VMX
7. understand that any routine technical problems in the day-to-day operation of your local AMO and its standard commercial service from your cable operator should continue to be dealt with through direct contact with the cable operator
8. act as the gatekeeper for VMX programming and provide guidance and support for determining Creative Commons licensing, indemnification, and compliance with applicable copyright law
9. enter into a $1 annual lease of the VMX computer from VAN/VMX and provide insurance coverage as with any other AMO equipment under your normal business insurance
10. understand that the VMX computer is provided only for statewide network operations and interface with your AMO cablecast playout system — the VMX computer is not to be used for other production, office, or programming purposes
11. cooperate with VAN and cable operators for timely roll-out consistent with VAN commitments with cable operators
12. provide information and documentation to VAN for Statewide PEG reporting to cable operators
13. have your AMO’s Executive Director and Board of Directors review this proposal, accompanying documentation from cable operators and VAN, and for the Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors of your AMO to sign a document provided by VMX confirming your AMO’s understanding and acceptance of this commitment to the Vermont Statewide PEG Interconnect called Vermont Media Exchange (VMX)
VMX Beta Test Underway
Vermont Media Exchange continues to grow with more access sites planned each month. See the additional pages below for more detailed information about where the VMX project is right now and where we're going. As of July 14, 2008, the following VMX sites are up and running as the expanded Beta Test Group for statewide network applications and operations.
VMX Sites
Middlebury Community Television, Middlebury
Community Access Television 8/UVEC, White River Junction
Onion River Community Access, Montpelier
Channel 17 Town Meeting Television, Burlington
Rutland Region Community Television, Rutland
Vermont Community Access Media, Burlington
Ludlow Plymouth Cavendish Television, Ludlow
Catamount Access Television, Bennington
Regional Educational Technology Network, Burlington
Lake Champlain Access Television, Colchester
Testing and sharing is happening with a transition to the new VMX 1.0 application and new sites on the schedule for installation throughout the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are 7 Frequently Asked Questions about Vermont Media Exchange
• What steps are involved in sharing programs?
There are as many as five steps to sharing.
Uploading: The process of transferring a file from a local hard drive or server to a remote location or server, such as via FTP (file transfer protocol) or peer-to-peer file-sharing.
Downloading: The process of transferring a file from a remote location or server to a local hard drive or server.
Encoding: The process of transforming a digital file or analog program into a digital file format for storage.
Decoding: The process of transforming a digital file into a usable program for viewing and/or playback.
Transcoding: The process of converting a digital file from one file format to another, with varying degrees of quality loss from one generation to the next.
• What digital format is VMX designed to use?
VMX is using MPEG-4 to transfer files because of the manageable size of MPEG-4 files. However, many access centers with digital master control systems at their stations cablecast using MPEG-2 files, so VMX also includes a method for transcoding to and from MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.
• What is a unicast?
Unicast is a term to describe streaming a video and audio signal on the Internet from one point to another. The unicast stream is of high enough quality to be cablecast on an access channel in full frame configuration but does not create video and audio interactivity.
• What is the schedule for VMX installations at access stations?
VMX 2.0 has begun to undergo testing with an expanded Alpha Test Group of nine AMOs in the Alpha Test Group. If all goes well with testing, VMX will roll out to the next large group of AMOs beginning this winter, but timing will depend on software success and other available resources.
• What does my Access Management Organization (AMO) need to do to prepare for VMX?
Use digital files for cablecast: Whether your master control system uses MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 format files, developing ways to store and move digital files on and off your cablecast equipment will make the last step in the VMX installation simpler than if you need to use an analog input/output to/from your playout system.
Understand your local network in your access center: Not surprisingly, internal networks are proving to be one of the more difficult challenges involved with VMX installations. If you have worked with someone to properly network your facility you should discuss the VMX concept with that person and with your master control system vendor to confirm that it will be fairly simple to transfer files on and off your master control system and that you will have a plan for storage of digital files on an appropriate hard drive or on the VMX computer’s 160GB of storage space.
Get a static IP address: All master control systems and their local computer networks on the VMX must have a static IP address. These are obtained through the local cable operator. Static IP addresses are assigned to the modem used to connect to the internet.
Talk to your cable operator: The dominant cable company in Vermont is Comcast, but the Vermont Access Network VMX Governing Committee, working with local AMOs, is approaching the other cable operators to support this effort by contributing, as Comcast has, to the cost of equipment and support to continue developing the VMX statewide network. Two other cable operators are Charter and Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, and there are others in other parts of the state. VAN is working with a cost of $2,325 per AMO to roll out VMX.
• Where can I get more information about VMX?
vermontaccess.net - this web site - is the best place to get information on VMX
vermontaccess.net/statewide is the specific link for VMX information. With the VMX information online there is also a list of Vermont Media Exchange Governing Committee members so you can contact us if you have questions, ideas, or concerns. If you are a VAN member organization, this is also a good place to complete or update your Snapshot Survey or register your Comcast High Speed Internet (HSI) information.
VMX Progress Report
Here are some underlying questions people have been asking about Vermont Media Exchange progress.
• What has been going on and why is it taking so long?
In August 2007 VMX Alpha Test Group 1, a group of seven access centers, began some testing of computer and network functions connected to digital file-sharing with the group and we’ve been working on modifications and improvements to release what we're calling VMX 2.0. Now we have a new version of VMX code to perform all the functions described above with minimal custom settings at each Access Management Organization (AMO). All this has been time-consuming and slower than expected.
• So now what happens with VMX and digital file-sharing?
The expanded Alpha Test Group is working with the new code. Once we’ve concluded testing of VMX 2.0 we're planning to transition the code into an application that can be easily upgraded on any VMX computer. Ideally we would then be prepared to roll out to a relatively large group of AMOs. It will also be important for VAN to remain aware of national movements in this same digital file-sharing direction because that could shorten our work time if we can either find another software developed nationally to perform these same functions or get the VMX software worked out for Vermont only as a group. Metadata is the even less clean transfer side of program sharing and we really have only begun to address the challenge of moving program metadata from one system to another.
• When is this project going to be finished?
VMX is only one small network in an emerging tide of file-sharing networks, but the goal of VMX is to have all VAN members prepared to bring the technology and the content to communities throughout Vermont. The long-term vision is to have AMOs serve as active centers to keep the program-sharing local as well as global. So in some ways we will never “finish” the statewide network. We can only get all AMOs on to an effective network of file-sharing computers connected to local master control systems. It’s what gets shared that is ultimately the most important thing and the hardest part of this transition.